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Penn College Spring Commencement Ceremonies Set for May 11-12

Penn College will hold three commencement ceremonies in the Community Arts Center, Williamsport, on May 11-12 for the more than 900 students who have petitioned to graduate following the Spring 2018 semester.

Three commencement ceremonies will be offered May 11-12 for the more than 900 students who have petitioned to graduate following the Spring 2018 semester at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

All of the ceremonies will be held at the Community Arts Center, 220 W. Fourth St., Williamsport, with more than 780 students expected to march.

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Published April 25, 2018 | Posted in Alumni, Events, Faculty & Staff, Students | Leave a comment

Nursing Students Practice Community Education

Penn College nursing student Rachel E. Farber, of Altoona, measures the blood pressure of librarian Helen L. Yoas at the close of a class offered by nursing students on “Reducing Risks: Understanding Metabolic Syndrome.”

During a pair of one-hour workshops, Pennsylvania College of Technology nursing students provided a wealth of information to help their audiences – Penn College employees – stay healthy and prevent illness.

The students are enrolled in a Community Health Nursing class, which prepares them for the real-world work of nurses beyond treating already ill patients: They learn to educate communities to help them prevent disease.

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New Students Win Pizza Party for Old-School Grasp of Finances

FYE students of Edward J. Almasy (left) flaunt the pizza they won as the semester's most engaging class.

Congratulations to Edward J. Almasy’s students for receiving the Spring 2018 Financial Literacy Challenge Award as the most “engaging” First-Year Experience class based on presentations by Career Services’ Dana R. Suter. (Second and third place, respectively, went to Marc E. Bridgens, associate professor of HVAC technology, and Karen E. Disalvo, assistant professor of legal assistant). “I started this friendly competition among the classes, as I know talking about finances – budgeting, credit card debt, investing and student loan repayment – isn’t the most exciting topic of conversation, but a conversation that is needed,” Suter said. “Being financially healthy and understanding the importance of making smart financial choices while in school (and after graduation) is so important, and how those choices may impact you in getting that ‘rock star’ job! Ed’s class asked very suitable questions throughout the presentation, as well as offering feedback about the financially healthy practices that they have experienced.” Suter, coordinator of part-time student employment and career programming, provided pizza and refreshments. Almasy, an associate professor of electronics, is among the many faculty/staff who work with new students through the required FYE sessions.
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Penn College Retains National ‘Tree Campus’ Designation

Partners in Penn College's ongoing status as a national Tree Campus mark the designation outside the Schneebeli Earth Science Center, home to the institution's landscape/horticulture technology and forest technology majors. From left are Don J. Luke, director of facilities operations; Justin W. Beishline, assistant dean of transportation and natural resources technologies; Andrea L. Mull, horticulturist/grounds and motorpool supervisor; Carl J. Bower Jr., assistant professor of horticulture; and Andrew Bartholomay, assistant professor of forestry.

For the third consecutive year, Pennsylvania College of Technology has been honored with Tree Campus USA recognition for effective forest management and for engaging employees and students in conservation goals.

The national program was created by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor educational institutions for their commitment to trees and for helping to provide solutions for the global challenges to air quality, water resources, personal health and well-being, and energy use.

Penn College earned the title by meeting Tree Campus USA’s five standards: maintaining a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and a student service-learning project.

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Online RN-to-BSN Degree Designed for Working Nurses

There is a nationwide push for 80 percent of registered nurses to have their bachelor’s degree by 2020. Pennsylvania College of Technology is helping to meet that challenge with its online BSN degree, designed for the working nurse. Thanks to an eight-week class schedule, full-time BSN students can complete the program in a year. Penn College nursing alumni receive a 38-percent tuition discount when they enroll in the program, and out-of-state students pay the in-state tuition rate. The Penn College BSN degree is explored in a new YouTube video with the help of Valerie Myers, assistant dean of nursing at the college; Amanda Raymond, a nurse educator at UPMC Susquehanna and current BSN student; Lori Beucler, vice president and chief nursing officer at UPMC Susquehanna; and Terri Bickert, vice president of nursing education at Geisinger Health System. “Research has shown that patient outcomes are improved when they’re cared for by a bachelor’s-prepared nurse,” Myers says. “The bachelor’s program courses are more holistic, so they are looking at nursing from a wider view.”

Students’ ‘Helping Hands’ Busily Aid Food Bank

Rallied by CPE Paul M. Lasell (back row, center), the group celebrates its commendable work at the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank.

Loose potatoes were bagged and sorted into bins for distribution.

In a service project organized by Community Peer Educator Paul M. Lasell, dozens of Penn College students from a variety of majors and affiliated organizations assisted the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank on Monday. “Helping Hands for Hunger is a programming event that I have been planning since the beginning of the semester. As a CPE for Community and Campus Engagement, I wanted to host some sort of service event that would benefit both,” said Lasell, a plastics and polymer engineering technology student from Williamsport. “I have worked with the Food Bank in the past and it has been very rewarding for me to be able to help those in need around the greater Lycoming County area. So when I was offered the opportunity to work with them again, I jumped on it.” With little more than 25 students attending, the group sorted and bagged almost 250 8-pound bags of potatoes, as well as adding other items to boxes being packed for the military. “I cannot thank the campus community enough for taking the time out of their day to help make this service event a huge success,” Lasell added. “I plan on hosting similar events in the future as the Food Bank is always needing assistance, and I am always willing to help the Helping Hands to make sure its needs are met.”
Photos by Sammie L. Davis, coordinator of diversity and cultural life

Inaugural Military Games Successful, Right Off the Bat

First baseman Colton Riley, an automotive technology student from Danville, sports the uniform worn for Tuesday's commemoration. Riley was 2-for-6 on the day, with two runs batted in.

Teams and umpires honor America – and its servicemen and women – during "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Bats were hot, with 19 Wildcat hits in the back-to-back wins.

The ritual tossing of the first pitch in the nightcap signals time to "Play ball!"

Second baseman Deric S. Ellerman, a residential construction technology and management major from Landisville, turns the double play.

Tuesday’s Military Appreciation Night, organized by the Wildcat baseball team and Penn College’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee, movingly paid tribute … and delivered a doubleheader sweep of Mansfield University for the first time in program history. “When we organized the event, we wanted it to be about the veterans and active military members within our community. We just wanted a chance to give back, and I’m proud of the way that the players and fans represented the college in supporting our military members,” said pitcher Maxwell G. Bair, an applied management major from Centre Hall. “The Penn College community is one of the many reasons I love this school, and I’m very proud of the showing of support we had for the event. It is our goal to make the event an annual occurrence for many years to come.” The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by Joseph M. Dreese – an Army veteran and member of the soccer team, graduating next month with a bachelor’s degree in information assurance and cyber security – and the national anthem was sung by softball player Alyssa G. Gentile, of Fairport, New York, a pre-applied health studies: radiography concentration, who was chosen as 2018’s “Penn College Star.” Penn College bested Mansfield in the nonconference matchup at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field, 5-2 and 11-6.

SkillsUSA Competitors Strike Gold; 21 Students Headed to Nationals

SkillsUSA Pennsylvania

Nearly all 27 members of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s SkillsUSA team – 21 of them advancing to the 54th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference in Louisville, Kentucky – earned medals during recent state competition.

The competitors represent majors across four of Penn College’s academic schools, and the theme for the April 18-20 Pennsylvania Leadership and Skills Conference in Hershey couldn’t have been more fitting for students gaining career-making skills in hands-on fashion: “Champions at Work: Job-Ready, Day One.”

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Last updated April 24, 2018 | Posted in Architectural Technology, Automated Manufacturing & Machining, Aviation, Baking, Pastry & Culinary Arts, Building Construction, Business & Hospitality, Construction & Design Technologies, Electrical, Engineering Design Technology, Faculty & Staff, Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning, Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies, Information Technology, Plastics & Polymer, Students, Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies, Welding | Leave a comment

Penn College Students’ Cakes Place in Top 3 at Atlantic Bakery Expo

Penn College students took first- and third-place awards in the Student Tiered Wedding Cake category at the 2018 Atlantic Bakery Expo. Three Penn College students competed. From left are Taylor M. Bickhart, of Middleburg, who received third place; Sarah A. Waclo, of York; and Jacqueline R. Dull, of Mohnton, who took first place. Their respective cakes are behind them.

Two Pennsylvania College of Technology students finished in the Top Three in their category during the 2018 Cake Extravaganza at the Atlantic Bakery Expo in Atlantic City.

Jacqueline R. Dull, a baking and pastry arts student from Mohnton, received first place in the student tiered wedding cake category, and Taylor M. Bickhart, a baking and pastry arts student from Middleburg, placed third in the same category.

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Students Organize Professional Development Seminar

Penn College graduate Taylor C. Biery, who received a degree in health information management in 2013, talks about her work during a Health Information Technology Seminar organized by students at the college.

Health information technology students at Pennsylvania College of Technology, who in the world of work will likely be tasked with arranging professional development opportunities for their employees, got that experience by orchestrating a Health Information Technology Seminar for other students.

“It gives them a feel for how to set up a training,” said Daniel K. Christopher, assistant professor of business administration: health information technology and department head. Christopher teaches the Health Information Management course, a capstone class for the college’s health information technology associate-degree major.

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College’s Baja Entry Finishes Strong Amid Esteemed Field

The Penn College No. 9 car elicits fan support at Baja SAE Maryland.

Pennsylvania College of Technology students bested scores of schools at Baja SAE Maryland over the weekend.

The Penn College team posted top-10 showings in three events, including the demanding four-hour endurance race. The competition attracts approximately 100 college and university teams from across the world, who design and build a dune-buggy-like vehicle to survive various performance tests.

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NCAA Highlights College President’s LLB Leadership Role

President Gilmour addresses the crowd at the 2013 Little League Baseball World Series, her first as board chair.

An article in NCAA Champion magazine marks the recent conclusion of Davie Jane Gilmour’s tenure as chair of the Little League International Board of Directors, sharing memories and milestones from the Penn College president’s five-year term at the organization’s helm. Included in the piece, headlined “College president fulfills big leadership role in Little League Baseball,” are tidbits both humorous (self-deprecation about her throwing arm) and insightful (cherished moments handing out medals to the young athletes). “Those are the days that go down as some of my most favorite,” says Gilmour, who will continue as a board member. “Being around the players has always been the most moving thing for me.” In addition to her ongoing LLB role, she is vice chair of President’s Council for the North Eastern Athletic Conference and will assume the council chair in July 2019.

Annual Silent Auction to Benefit Student Leader Legacy Scholarship

The 2017 Student Government Association Silent Auction at Penn College raised more than $3,000 for scholarship assistance. This year’s auction is scheduled for Friday, April 27, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Madigan Library.

The Student Government Association at Pennsylvania College of Technology will host its annual Silent Auction on Friday, April 27, to benefit the Student Leader Legacy Scholarship Fund.

The auction will be held from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on the first floor of Madigan Library. All proceeds from the event – which is open to the public – will go directly toward increasing the endowment of the fund, which awards multiple scholarships annually to students who play leadership roles at the college.

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Penn College IT Student Wins National Contest

Joseph M. Dreese, of Millerstown, recently won a nationwide contest for information technology innovation. Dreese is scheduled to graduate in May from Penn College with a bachelor’s degree in information assurance and cyber security.

A Pennsylvania College of Technology information technology student has earned accolades from COMMON, the world’s largest association of IBM and IBM-compatible information technology users.

Joseph M. Dreese, of Millerstown, won COMMON’s 2018 Student Innovation Contest for his “Phishing with a License” project. The competition recognizes innovation in information systems, enterprise computing, computer science, information technology or a related field. Dreese’s prize includes an all-expense-paid trip to COMMON’s POWERUp18 Conference, where he will present his work. The IT showcase is scheduled for late May in San Antonio.

“We are very proud of Joe for this impressive recognition,” said Lisa Bock, associate professor of computer information technology, who encouraged Dreese to enter the contest. “I know he put countless hours into the submission, and his research and analysis were outstanding.”

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Men’s Golf, Tennis Teams Seek Championships

End-of-the-season North Eastern Athletic Conference championships are on the line later this week for Pennsylvania College of Technology men’s golf and men’s tennis teams.

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Pennsylvania College of Technology is a special mission affiliate of The Pennsylvania State University